By Alison Marandola, Chief People Officer, Partner Engineering and Science, Inc.; and Kathryn Peacock, Principal, Partner Engineering and Science, Inc.
Originally Published in the 2024 EBA Journal, Summer Edition
In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving workplace, the ability to adapt and lead effectively is paramount. Central to this is the development of self-awareness. By understanding one’s own strengths, weaknesses, and behavioral patterns, leaders can better manage change, engage their teams, and foster a positive organizational culture. Even the most effective leaders have room to grow, and by demonstrating self-awareness, reflecting, and taking action, they can improve even further. This article discusses the importance of self-awareness in leadership and offers five practical strategies for its cultivation.
Listening is a fundamental skill that significantly impacts job effectiveness and the quality of our relationships. Despite its importance, most of us remember only 25% to 50% of what we hear. Active listening is a technique that can help bridge this gap. It involves making a conscious effort to not only hear the words but also understand the complete message being communicated.
Key elements of active listening include:
Leaders who embody effective listening often employ various non-verbal actions to show their engagement and openness to listen and learn. For instance, they might maintain eye contact to build trust, or lean slightly forward to express interest. Additionally, an open posture with uncrossed arms, relaxed shoulders and a receptive stance conveys their readiness to listen and learn from the speaker’s message.
Effective communication is vital to organizational success. It boosts morale, increases engagement, improves team collaboration and cooperation, heightens accountability, and drives better results for individuals, teams, and organizations.
To communicate effectively:
Conflict, when approached correctly, can be a gift. It offers a chance to gain insights into our strengths and weaknesses through feedback and reflection. Amy Gallo, a writer, speaker, and coach, emphasizes the importance of seeing conflict as an opportunity to understand different perspectives.[1] She explains that while many people naturally avoid conflict, expressing disagreement constructively can lead to productive outcomes when approached with compassion and kindness.
Below are some tips she offers on how to navigate conflicts productively:
Self-awareness is crucial for effective leadership and more successful interactions. It involves understanding our strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots through a combination of feedback and reflection. Here’s how to enhance your self-awareness:
Enhancing one’s self-awareness is key to personal and professional growth.
Marshall Goldsmith’s book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, identifies 20 bad leadership habits that create challenges in interactions.[2] Examples include winning too much, adding too much value, making destructive comments, and not listening. Overcoming these habits requires openness, courage, humility, and discipline. By identifying these behaviors and actively working to change them, leaders can create a more positive and productive work environment.
Figure 1 provides a comprehensive list of these behaviors. To effectively address and overcome these habits, consider implementing the following approach:
Figure 1: Common Counterproductive Leadership Behaviors
Behavior | Description |
Winning too much | The need to win at all costs, even when unnecessary. |
Adding too much value | Overwhelming desire to add our two cents to every discussion. |
Passing judgment | Imposing personal standards on others. |
Making destructive comments | Using sarcasm or cutting remarks. |
Starting with “No,” “But,” or “However” | Negative qualifiers that suggest disagreement. |
Telling the world how smart you are | Need to showcase intelligence unnecessarily. |
Speaking when angry | Using emotional volatility as a tool. |
Negativity | Sharing negative thoughts unasked. |
Withholding information | Keeping information to maintain an advantage. |
Failing to give proper recognition | Inability to praise or reward appropriately. |
Claiming undue credit | Overestimating personal contributions. |
Making excuses | Justifying annoying behavior as unchangeable. |
Clinging to the past | Blaming past events or people for current issues. |
Playing favorites | Treating individuals unfairly. |
Refusing to express regret | Not taking responsibility or acknowledging impact on others. |
Not listening | Disrespecting colleagues through passive-aggressive behavior. |
Failing to express gratitude | Neglecting basic manners of appreciation. |
Punishing the messenger | Attacking those delivering bad news. |
Passing the buck | Blaming others instead of oneself. |
Excessive need to be “me” | Justifying faults as inherent traits. |
When applying the insights shared here, remember that true growth comes through practice and experience. Learning isn’t just about attending events or receiving coaching; it’s about applying what you’ve learned in real situations. Be open to feedback, express gratitude, and acknowledge mistakes when they occur. Changing habits that don’t serve you and being willing to be vulnerable with colleagues will enhance accountability and support your growth. To deepen your self-awareness and emotional intelligence, consider exploring Daniel Goleman’s work, which highlights self-awareness as a core component of emotional intelligence.[3]
Increasing self-awareness is a journey that requires continuous effort, practice, and a willingness to be vulnerable. While these approaches may seem straightforward, they require openness, courage, discipline, and humility to implement effectively. By doing so, we can enhance our leadership and teaming abilities, leading to more effective and meaningful interactions in both our professional and personal lives.
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[1] Gallo, A. (2017). The Gift of Conflict. TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_e_gallo_the_gift_of_conflict
[2] Goldsmith, M. (2007). What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful. Hyperion.
[3] Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Bantam Books.